Weekly Round Up – The Cancer Is Never Done With You Edition

Time for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just leave a comment below.

I try each week to group your blogs according to themes and this week it was very easy as so many of you have been writing about how once you have been diagnosed with cancer, no matter what the outcome, it lurks in the background or in the words of The Sarcastic Boob:

The best description of a chronic disease was when Eddie Murphy, in his raunchy stand up movie Delirious, described herpes: “You keep that shit forever. Like luggage.” Damn, I’ve got luggage all right.

Part of the luggage for many of us is depression – the theme of My Heart Sisters excellent post – When Survivors Feel Depressed Instead Of Lucky.

Audreyhas written on mothers and daughters and our recent #BCCEU tweet chat in which she asked the assistant director of research for Breakthrough Breast Cancer , Julia Wilson, what reassurance could she give mothers and daughters in the future when it comes to advances in breast cancer research.

Her reply was “our commitment we are ready to pick off different types of breast cancer one by one and stop mothers and daughter dying”.

We passionately wish for that day to come soon! If you want a reminder of why we wish it, read Anne Marie’s blog on National Cancer Research Month; Susan’s frustration; Lisa Bonchek Adam’spowerful post on life’s expiration date; Lorion vaccines; Yvonne on how cancer is no longer the black and white issue she once thought it was; Renn’s list of 9 of her favorite metastatic breast cancer bloggers, Beth and Nancy on why we are never done with cancer.

Philippahas written beautifully on the themes of birth, death, growth and renewal:

Tiny buds on the trees, little shoots of grasses pushing through the ground, delighted white fluffy lambs appearing freshly laundered as they scampered around the hillsides, prolific spring daffodil bulbs and new wild flowers shivering in the winds. Reminding me of the precarious balance that is life and death.

And the theme of spring is echoed in Victoria’s blog and Pasha celebrating “Beltane, the Celtic Fire Festival that marks the first day of summer, in the ancient Celtic calendar – a “festival of optimism”.

“How do you hedge living and dying?” asks Laurenin a welcome return to the blogosphere. She offers some suggestions:

It all comes down to the old quote, “You better get busy living or get busy dying.” The only thing I know for sure is when we are busy living, the sweet is sweeter.

And thanks to Lauren I can end on a quote this week from my favorite poet, Mary Oliver…

Thank you Marie for including me in this fantastic group of posts. I also love catching up on what I missed and it’s so great how you bring our community together and tie the stories to each other. XoXoxo – Susan

A new metaphor I heard last week from Kathleen Petty, a well-known Canadian radio host and someone with her own cancer journey, is cancer as a stalker, with the various treatments akin to restraining orders, keeping it at bay, hopefully forever but realistically giving us time.

". . .and the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and JOYFUL, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home."
Wendell Berry